February 27, 2014

When the Crew scored in the 87th minute to earn a 1-0 win against Philadelphia on Saturday,
Gregg Berhalter praised his team’s desire to fight until the end.

In some ways, today’s 4-4 draw with Orlando City in Kissimmee, Fla., capped by Ethan Finlay’s
goal after the 90th minute was a similar situation for the Crew. In other ways, however, it was
strikingly different.

February 26, 2014

Today’s game between the Crew and Orlando City is important for the Major League Soccer side for
multiple reasons.

Chief among them is the fact that the game will be one of a final few chances for players still
trying to make the Crew roster to solidify a spot. MLS clubs are required to cut their rosters down
to 30 players by March 1, which will be a busy day for the Crew. The club has already clinched a
spot in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic championship game, which will be played March 1 at 8 p.m.

February 25, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – To date, the Crew has signed eight players to homegrown player
contracts. Seven of them remain on the roster, but only one of them has taken a turn as captain for
the first team.

After Wil Trapp was named captain for the first half of last Wednesday’s 3-1 win against Toronto
FC as part of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, Crew coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said,
“It won’t be the last time, either. Wil’s a quality guy and he’s got a big future ahead of him. We
think he can step up and have a leadership role in this group.”

February 24, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – When Ben Speas was making it hard for Robert Warzycha to take
him out of the Crew’s lineup last season, it was on the left side of the midfield. Now as the
homegrown player looks to carve out a role under new Crew coach and sporting director Gregg
Berhalter, it will come from a more central location.

Speas has been playing as a central attacking midfielder this preseason as part of the 4-2-3-1
Berhalter has been deploying.

February 23, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – With less than two weeks remaining until the Crew opens the
regular season, a few pieces of Gregg Berhalter’s plans for the team are beginning to show.

After having spent the first few weeks of the preseason getting a feel for his players and
installing aspects of how he wants the team to play, the Disney Pro Soccer Classic is providing an
opportunity to start translating those lessons into action. The main lesson? Expect more pressure
from the team’s outside defenders and midfielders in what is solidifying as a 4-2-3-1
formation.

February 22, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Giancarlo Gonzalez has not had a lot of time to get used to his
new surroundings. So when it came time to put out a lineup for today’s game against Philadelphia,
Crew coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter posed a question to the Costa Rican center
back.

“I asked him if he wanted to play and to his credit his answer was ‘absolutely,’ ” Berhalter
said. “I’m proud of him and I think he did a good job.”

February 22, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A few hours before the word went public, Giancarlo Gonzalez was
going through his first training session with the Crew. After having spent a few days getting over
jet lag and getting the final details of his contract worked out, Gonzalez jumped right into the
fray as coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter moved the players through a series of
positioning drills designed to demonstrate how he wants the team play this season.

It was then that Gonzalez did something that surprised Berhalter: he raised his hand and asked a
question. Before he supplied the answer, Berhalter verbally applauded Gonzalez’s query in front of
the rest of the team.

February 21, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Crew has signed Costa Rican international defender
Giancarlo Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, 26, took part in his first training session with the Crew today at the ESPN Wide World
of Sports complex. He is a center back by trade and is expected to step in and immediately pair
with Michael Parkhurst in the middle of the Crew defense. He is listed at 6 foot 3, 185 pounds.

February 20, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – When he was with the Crew, Duncan Oughton was a man of many
jobs. Part assistant coach, part assistant technical director and part broadcaster, the New Zealand
international and former Crew player kept busy in Columbus.

Now as he enters his first full season with Toronto, Oughton wears just one hat: that of an
assistant coach. But after watching his former team defeat his new team 3-1 in the first game of
the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, the short-haired Oughton said it’s one that fits just fine.

February 19, 2014

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – In structure, the Crew’s second game of the preseason looked
similar to the first.

After fielding two completely different lineups in each half against Swedish side Malmo FF two
weeks ago, coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter did the same with his field players en route
to a 3-1 win against Toronto FC in the first game of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic. The lone
exception was goalkeeper Matt Lampson, who saw the full 90 minutes.

February 19, 2014

Today marks the Crew’s second preseason game and its first as part of the Disney Pro Soccer
Classic. The team has been together for a little less than a month by now and this is the time for
coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter to start working on lineups rather than just
tactics.